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Berlin Capacity Plan Nearly Ready For Public Release

BERLIN – A work session in August will reveal the long awaited Berlin sewer capacity management plan, interim Mayor Gee Williams announced Monday night at the Berlin Town Council meeting.

Working papers outlining the sewer distribution policy were distributed in May, Williams said, but the town decided that staff needed to do more research and modify the proposed plan before releasing the document to the Berlin public or considering the plan for possible adoption.

“They should have the final recommendations for consideration to the Mayor and Council by next month,” Williams said Monday.

Staff has worked on updating the previous capacity management plan since March, Berlin Administrative Director Linda Bambary said on the importance of the plan, which will govern how many EDUs are distributed and when, with the expansion of the plant freeing up some reserved EDUs, and adding more once completed.

“We don’t want to have a shark frenzy for EDUs,” Bambary said.

The capacity management plan will be accompanied by an allocation ordinance with a sunset provision for new allocations, putting a must-use date on sewer capacity assigned after 2007.

“You wouldn’t be able to keep the EDUs forever,” said Bambary.

The capacity management plan is nearly complete with just the sunset provision to finish.

The town council’s work session to discuss the capacity management plan will be held Aug. 18, beginning at 6 p.m., in the Berlin Mayor and Council chambers upstairs at Berlin Town Hall.

Williams said the capacity management plan work session would give the council the chance to delve into the details of the plan under the eyes of the public.

Both elected officials and townsfolk would start at the same spot, he said, hearing the same explanation of the proposed sewer capacity management plan at the same time.

“Because it’s a work session, no decision will be made, but it will begin the process to adopt those policies down the road,” said Williams.

Work sessions do not include a public comment period.

Bambary predicted a second work session would follow the first for town council discussion purposes.

Williams said he did not see how the town council could adopt the plan without a work session.